翠鸟科cuì-niǎo kē

翠鳥科cuì-niǎo kē

カワセミ科kawa-semi ka

General

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The old Thai general name เต็นten'kingfisher' survives in modern Thai only with a wildlife prefix. In all of the Lekagul series editions (18, 19, 20, 20a, 22, 23) the version used is นกกะเต็นnók kà-ten (which is also used here for the family name of the Alcedinidae). However (21) and many other sources prefer นกกระเต็นnók krà-ten.

The same old name still occurs in Lao both with and without a wildlife prefix: ເຕັນtèn (or ten) and ກະເຕັນká-tèn.

Any bird which eats fish may be called นกกินปลาnók kin-plaa'fish-eater (bird)'. However, in some sources นกกินปลาnók kin-plaa has been restricted as a kingfisher general name, reflecting popular usage. Species-names for Todiramphus chloris are variations on similar constructions, all meaning essentially 'crab-eater (bird)'.

翡翠fěicuì is an ancient name signifying 'red feathers' (翡) + 'blue feathers' (翠), for which certain kingfishers were prized. In modern times Chinese ornithologists have for mostly restricted the name 翡翠fěicuì to the halcyonid kingfishers, although Taiwan still uses it for a cerylid kingfisher.

翠鸟cuì-niǎo, literally 'bluefeather-bird', using the second character in 翡翠fěicuì, is a long-standing general kingfisher name most closely associated with the widespread Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis. As a modern ornithological name it is also extended to other members of the genus Alcedo.

ショウビンshōbin is used ornithologically for the halcyonid kingfishers. All Japanese kingfisher names can be written 翡翠, a Chinese name for the kingfishers. In addition to ショウビンshōbin, 翡翠 can be read as カワセミkawa-semi, ヒスイhisui, and セミsemi (in the name ヤマセミyama-semi only), all meaning 'kingfisher'. (To distinguish the names here, ショウビンshōbin is called 'kingfisher₂'. セミsemi is 'kingfisher₁'.)

カワセミkawa-semi, literally 'river kingfisher', is used ornithologically for the alcedinid kingfishers. Traditionally written in at least three ways: 1. 翡翠, a Chinese name for the kingfishers, which may also be read as ショウビンshōbin, ヒスイhisui, or (in ヤマセミyama-semi 'mountain kingfisher') as セミsemi, all meaning 'kingfisher'. 2. 川蝉, literally 'river cicada', using the character for the homonymous word meaning 'cicada' (セミsemi). 3. 魚狗 'fish-dog', another Chinese name for the kingfishers. 1. and 3. both use a Chinese name as a whole to write カワセミkawasemi. Neither thus contains an individual character representing 'river' (カワkawa).
(To distinguish the names here, セミsemi is called 'kingfisher₁' and ショウビンshōbin is 'kingfisher₂')

ルリruri 'lapis lazuli' may be written two ways in Japanese: 瑠璃 or 琉璃.

ヤマセミyama-semi, made up of ヤマyama 'mountain' plus セミsemi 'kingfisher', is used ornithologically for the cerylid kingfishers. Traditionally written either 1. 山 'mountain' + 翡翠 'kingfisher' (the latter a Chinese word meaning 'kingfisher'), or 2. 山 'mountain' + 魚狗 'fish-dog' (the latter being another Chinese word for 'kingfisher'.) 翡翠 is also used to write the kingfisher names カワセミkawa-semi, ショウビンshōbin and ヒスイhisui. 魚狗 is also used to write the name カワセミkawa-semi.

The usual meaning of กำกวมkam-kuam is 'obscure, unclear, cryptic, vague, etc', but there is also an unrelated meaning of 'stork-billed kingfisher' whose etymology is unclear.

Check-list of Thai Birds Round, Philip D., Bird Conservation Society of Thailand, Bangkok 2008. Draft version downloaded from the site of the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand in 2009 but no longer posted there, an expanded update of the species included in Lekagul & Round 1991